Needing an offensive lift, the St. Edmond girls found one in the form of Sophia Schlienz.

The junior scored nine consecutive points for the Gaels, helping them erase a four-point deficit and post a 53-43 victory over Pocahontas Area here Thursday night inside the SEHS gym.

Schlienz finished with a team-high 15 points, sinking four 3-pointers. She had 12 in the final eight minutes, as St. Edmond (14-4 overall) outscored the Indians (11-7), 20-6.

“We just kept battling and we found a way,” SEHS head coach CJ Tracy said. “The girls fought hard to get us back in it after a difficult third quarter. We made some adjustments and they just believed in each other.

“It’s so fun seeing them put together performances like this out there on the court.”

Pocahontas Area went on an 18-2 run in the third to take control of the game. Kristin Axman had 18 points and Khloe Mefferd finished with 12 and 12 rebounds, but the Indians had their three-game win streak snapped.

The victory marked the first since Feb. 2, 2012 for the Gaels in the series, ending a eight-game run by Pocahontas Area.

“We’ve had a lot of those kind of moments that make a season so special this year,” Tracy said. “But we want to have a lot more still.”

Schlienz started the fourth off with a triple and Eden Horn followed with back-to-back buckets to give St. Edmond a lead they would never surrender. Horn finished with 10 points and collected 20 rebounds.

Anna Lursen had two big baskets in the fourth, as she scored 10 while Chloe Palmer added eight points, six rebounds and three steals. Olivia Andrew came off the bench to contribute five points and four boards.

“Olivia was big there in the first when Eden had to come out,” Tracy said. “She gave us some solid minutes. And Sophia was just huge for us. She hasn’t felt the best this week, but she gave it everything she had.”

The Gaels return to action Friday night vs. Clear Lake.

ST. EDMOND 53,

POCAHONTAS AREA 43

St. Edmond — Sophia Schlienz 4 3-4 15, Anna Lursen 5 0-0 10, Chloe Palmer 3 1-2 8, Eden Horn 5 0-5 10, Abby Huss 1 2-3 5, Olivia Andrew 1 3-6 5, Maggie Flaherty 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 9-20 53.

Pocahontas Area — Delaney Janssen 0 0-0 0, Kristin Axman 5 7-8 18, Khloe Mefferd 3 3-3 12, Alayna Kakacek 1 2-2 4, Halee Hauswirth 2 3-3 7, Danica Dreith 1 0-2 2, Alli Lake 0 0-2 0. Totals: 12 15-20 43.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 7-6, 26-17; Pocahontas Area led 37-33. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 6 (Schlienz 4, Palmer 1, Huss 1), Pocahontas Area 4 (Mefferd 3, Axman 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 44, Pocahontas Area 31. Steals: St. Edmond 7, Pocahontas Area 7. Turnovers: St. Edmond 15, Pocahontas Area 14. Team fouls: St. Edmond 13, Pocahontas Area 17.